Improvement in folding bedsteads



J. FLINN.

FOLDING BEDSTEAD. Nb.169,689 Patented Nov.9,187-5.

N- FETERS. FNOTO-LITMDGRAPMER, WASHINGTON n C STATES ATENT @rrioa.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDlNG BEDSTEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,689, dated November9, 1875; application filed September 9, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be'it known that I, JOHN FLINN, of the cityof Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented anImprovement in (lots, of which the following is a specification:

The object of m yinvention is to so construct and apply the legs of acot to the supporting frame or body, which receives the mattress or bed,that a series or any number of the said improved cots can be readilynested to gether, or piled up with their frames or bodies in closecontact, the one upon the other, without hinderance from the legs, andconsequently enabling the keepers of hotels, boardinghouses, &c., duringan extraordinary crowd of patrons, to use the parlors, halls, &c., forsleeping-rooms at night, and, by nesting the cots in the morning,restore the rooms to nearly the same original walking or sittingfloorspace required in theda-y-time. These very desirable results areafforded by constructing and applying the legs of a cot as willhereinafter be fully and clearly described, with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is' a perspective view of twocots nested together, the one directly upon the other, embodying myinvention. Fig.2 is a perspective view, showing the inner side of one ofthe legs of the cots; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of thedetached headboards of the said two nested cots, the other one beingsupposed to be lying between the two nested cots shown in Fig. 1.

The body of each cot is made of four pieces of Wooden board, nailedtogether at their ends, so as to form an oblong rectangular box, withouteither a bottom or top. A ledge ot' the same material, about two inchesWide, is nailed around near the lower edges of the inner sides or endsof the box, for supporting the ordinary narrow slats for supporting thebed or mattress, so that the upper side of the latter will be about inthe same plane with the top edges of the box, and thus, when the cotsare nested together, as represented in Fig. 1, there will be leftbetween them a space amply sufficient to receive the head-board, (seeFig. 3,)and the sheets and covering of one of the cots. So much inexplanation of the structure of the bodies of the cots and thedetachable headboards, neither of which is of my invention.

A and A are the respective bodies or boxes of the two nested cots shownin Fig. 1; B, the mattress, which rests upon the slats, that aresupported at their ends by the ledges nailed to the inner sides and endsof the lower edges of the box, as indicated by the dotted lines. Thelegs 0 U are each cast of iron or other suitable metal, in one piece,and in rectangular form transversely, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2)that is tosay, with the portion'which fits the salient angle of the box or body Aor A straight longitudinally, to correspond with the height of the box,and with a transverse triangular portion, G, (see Fig. 2,) upon whichthe salient corner of the box or body A or A rests, when the re-enteringangle of this portion of the leg (which forms about one-half of itswhole length) is applied closely, and secured, by woodscrews 2 2, firmlyto the corner ot' the box or body A or A. The lower half of the leg iscast in form so as, when applied to the box or body, as just described,to project outward and downward sufficiently to clear the upper half ofthe leg beneath it, which belongs to the next cot below, as representedin Fig. l. The contour of the lower half of the leg of each corner ofthe bodies of a series of the nested cots is substantially asrepresented in Figs 1 and 2, and therefore it will be understood,without further description, that the said legs 0 G will permit thebodies of the cots to fit down closely upon each other, as shown in Fig.1, and at the same time allowing the detachable head-board andbed-coverings, if desired, to be put into the space between each pair ofnested cots.

The head-board of a cot is generally supported in a detachable manner bytwo staples in the head end of the box or body, into which the legs a aare inserted; and to obviate the application of staples for the purpose,a

small lug, 0, may, if preferred, be simultaneously cast with the leg, soas to project laterally from the outer side of the upper end of saidleg, so that when the latter is screwed fast to the head end of the bodyof the cot, it will leave an open space between the said lug and body,for the reception of the respective legs a of the head-board a, and thussupport the head-board in a firm but readily detachable manner.

' The advantages afforded by nesting cots tolient angle of the body ofthe cot, and provided gether, as shown and described, consequent withthe stop-plate c, the lower part of the upon the peculi'ltr constructionand applicaleg being bent outward, as and for the purtion of my improvedlegs 0, will be evident. pose described.

I claim as my invention- J OHNFLINN. In a cot-bedstead, the leg 0,consisting of Witnesses: a plate bent longitudinally to an angle ofnine- BENJ. MoRlsoN,

ty degrees, or so as correspond with the sa- WM. H. MORISON.

